“The Stem of Jesse (Christ) Will Judge in Righteousness”
Isaiah 11:1–5
1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
President Gordon B. Hinckley said:
“[Jesus] taught us the wondrous things of God. He opened the eyes of understanding to all who would listen. He was the fulfillment of the law, the sacrifice that would thereafter do away with every other sacrifice.
“‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace’ (Isa. 9:6).
“‘And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
“And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
“‘And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
“‘But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
“‘And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins” (Isa. 11:1–5).
“On Calvary’s hill He gave His life for each of us. ‘O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’ (1 Cor. 15:55).
“We honor His birth. But without His death that birth would have been but one more birth. It was the redemption which He worked out in the Garden of Gethsemane and upon the cross of Calvary which made His gift immortal, universal, and everlasting. His was a great Atonement for the sins of all mankind. He was the resurrection and the life, ‘the firstfruits of them that slept’ (1 Cor. 15:20). Because of Him all men will be raised from the grave.
“But beyond this He taught us the way, the truth, and the life. He gave the keys through which we may go on to immortality and eternal life.
“We love Him. We honor Him. We thank Him. We worship Him. He has done for each of us and for all mankind that which none other could have done. God be thanked for the gift of His Beloved Son, our Savior, the Redeemer of the world, the Lamb without blemish who was offered as a sacrifice for all mankind.”
(“A Season for Gratitude,” Ensign, Dec. 1997, 4.)
